Telcos customer service still not good enough – CA

Telecoms operators in Kenya still have work to do when it comes to customer service and satisfaction.

The headline findings by the Communications Authority of Kenya (CA) show that satisfaction levels are generally high, but there are some key areas for improvement – especially in the fixed line and broadband markets – and the three major telcos are not communicating particularly well with their customers.

Similarly, based on both recent and latest industry data, all three major telecommunications providers consistently rank lower in internet speed, with larger, traditional providers often underperforming compared to smaller, specialized internet service providers (ISPs).

CA’s conclusion, drawn from a new quality-of-service (QoS) performance by the mobile network operators for the FY 2024-2025, shows that Safaricom, Airtel, and Telkom registered 70.0%, 68.4%, and 60.0%, respectively during the review year, with the performance being lower than the previous year where the ratings for Safaricom, Airtel, and Telkom were 77.6%, 69.7% and 64.2%, respectively.

Internet speed satisfaction for Safaricom Plc, for instance, fell to an astonishing 10.6 percent during the period under review, despite registering 70% overall satisfaction index, compared to Telkom Kenya’s 33.9%, which registered a 60% overall satisfaction index.

Airtel Kenya’s 68.4% overall satisfaction index had 26.6% internet speed satisfaction level during the year.

The regulator, which is focusing in particular on the amount of time customers have to wait to speak to their service provider in the event of a problem, further noted that it undertook the quality of experience assessment alongside a customer satisfaction survey conducted between August 2025 and November 2025, and published in December 2025, across all 47 counties.

Cheaper cross border call rates beckon on lower tariffs push

This comes even cross-border traders and travellers across Africa are set to benefit from cheaper calls, texts and data, as a new wave of telecom reforms gains momentum across the continent.

Five Southern African Development Community (SADC) member states, Malawi, Lesotho, Mozambique, Zambia and Zimbabwe are the latest to announce reduced and harmonised mobile roaming tariffs under the One Network Area (ONA) framework.

The East African Community bloc is also looking to create a unified telecommunications market by eliminating roaming charges and enabling calls within the region at local rates.

“This initiative fosters greater connectivity and economic integration by making communication more affordable and seamless across borders,” according to the strategy. Communications & Media Studies

While mobile coverage across the region is already widespread, the regional strategy notes that a key challenge now is making internet use more affordable and meaningful in order to close the digital inclusion gap.

The EAC ONA initiative was first piloted by Kenya, Uganda and Rwanda and has since expanded to include Tanzania, Burundi and South Sudan, with plans to bring in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Somalia.

Countries under the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), are rolling out phased free-roaming initiatives that allows travellers to move within participating countries without incurring high international roaming charges.

In February, the ECOWAS Commission said it was intensifying efforts to make cross-border mobile communication more affordable and seamless across West Africa.

Additional reporting by Conrad ONYANGO